NATO’s New Secretary General Rutte Puts Insanity on Display
Oct. 11, 2024 (EIRNS)—Mark Rutte has been NATO Secretary General for 11 days so far, but has already shown his strategic insanity, by declaring that NATO allies “should not and do not” listen to “saber rattling” by Russian President Vladimir Putin The Alliance is strong and can respond to any threats, he blustered to Sky News in an interview on Oct. 10.
Asked directly whether he and the alliance should take Putin's threats of nuclear retaliation if the Ukraine were to use NATO weapons to attack targets deep in Russia, he replied,. “No, they shouldn’t, and they don’t...NATO is strong. We can face any adversary. We have everything in place to make sure that NATO is safe and secure, and that we can fight off any threat. And we will never be intimidated by anyone outside NATO trying to threaten us. So that is of no use he could better stop that.”
Rutte was in London for a meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was also there, reportedly presented his so-called victory plan to both of them. Rutte declined to divulge details about the Ukrainian plan but told Sky News that he hopes victory comes “as soon as possible.”
Asked if Ukraine is weaker because allies such as the U.K. and the U.S. have yet to grant permission for Kyiv to use their long-range weapons, such as British Storm Shadow cruise missiles, against targets inside Russia, the NATO chief said, “I’m not sure it is.”
He continued, “There is this risk that we completely focus on one weapon system and then that is the thing of the day … to be absolutely clear, the main issue here is making sure that military aid continues to flow into Ukraine, that we ramp up also the industry production within Ukraine, help them with that massive logistics, and then one weapon system will not change the outcome of the war.”
According to the readout on Starmer and Rutte’s meeting at No. 10 Downing Street, they “discussed the importance of a strong and united NATO in the face of ongoing Russian aggression. The Prime Minister set out the U.K.’s steadfast contribution to Allied forces, including through the U.K.’s nuclear deterrent, and said he looked forward to working closely with the NATO Secretary General in the coming months and years.”
As for the meeting with Zelensky, Starmer “welcomed the opportunity to be briefed by the President, and underscored the U.K.’s steadfast commitment to a sovereign Ukraine. He added that he looked forward to hearing reflections from President Zelenskyy and the other international partners he was visiting this week,” the readout said. “Looking ahead to the winter, and the challenges that would bring, they both agreed on the need to ensure Ukraine was in the best possible position.”
Sources report that Zelenskyy was furious with the results of the meetings. He reportedly told aides that Starmer had earlier assured him that he would give the okay tom use the Storm Shadow, British-provided , air launched cruise missile systems to attack targets deep in Russia, and that he would not wait for U.S> President Joe Biden to approve a similar use for U.S. ATACMS missile systems. Biden has rejected such permission. Zelenskyy is reported to have told aides that "this man Biden, is an enemy of the Ukraine."
As for the reason for Starmer's refusal, a source reported, "we some people who are sane in the British establishment apparently got to him. There are still a few of those people around. And of course, some of them, and maybe even Starmer, may have heard the recent statement by former Russian President [Dimitry] Medvedev that Russia should sink the British Isles, and if British continued with its provocations, we just might do that."